Jenny Thompson, swimming Thompson, who has five gold medals (all in relays), needs onemore to surpass speedskater Bonnie Blair for the most by a U.S.woman.

Steven Redgrave, rowing If the British four without cox wins, the only oarsman to haveearned gold medals at four Games will make it five.

Dara Torres, swimming At 33, Torres will be the first American to swim in fourOlympics and could become the oldest U.S. female swimmer to wina medal and the first swimmer of either sex from any nation towin medals at four Games.

Teresa Edwards (right), basketball With three golds and a bronze already, the 36-year-old U.S.guard should become the first hoopster to win five medals.

Alexander Popov, swimming The Russian Rocket, 28, could threepeat in both the 50 and 100freestyle; if he also wins two relay medals, he will pass MarkSpitz and Matt Biondi as history's most decorated swimmer, with12 medals.

Birgit Fischer, canoe-kayak In '96, Fischer, a German, became the first woman in any sportto win gold 16 years apart when she added a kayak fours victoryto her singles win in Moscow. Make that 20 years apart if, at38, she triumphs again in kayak pairs or fours.

Alexander Karelin, wrestling Russia's legendary super heavyweight has never lost aninternational Greco-Roman match. He could become the firstgrappler to win four golds.

Tegla Loroupe, track and field Kenya produces the world's finest distance runners, but noathlete from that nation has won an Olympic marathon; women'sworld-record holder Loroupe could be the first.

Naim Suleymanoglu, weightlifting Turkey's Pocket Hercules, the only lifter to hoist three goldmedals, is favored to pick up a fourth in the 137-pound class.

Before he became the premier postseason performer of his generation, the Patriots icon was a middling college quarterback who invited skepticism, even scorn, from fans and his coaches. That was all—and that was everything